Main menu

Student Suspended from School, Interrogated by Police for Doodle

Robert Keller has filed an unusual lawsuit against the Beaverton Police Department and Beaverton School District, which is a suburb of Portland, Ore.

According to Courthouse News Service, Keller's lawsuit claims his 13-year-old son "was interviewed at his school" and "by officers of the Beaverton Police Department regarding an alleged threat of harm based on a doodle that was drawn during class" on May 2.

Keller also claims that "at no time did the officers or school obtain a warrant, contact the minor child's parents to obtain parental consent, provide a counselor or attorney to the minor child or advise [his son] of his right against self-incrimination or provide an advocate who could explain."

The lawsuit also says the principal of Raleigh Hills K-8 school suspended his son for drawing the doodle "effective immediately, pending a risk assessment" on April 30.

Keller added that he and his wife told the school that their son "was not to be interviewed alone without a parent present" during the "risk assessment."

According to Keller's lawsuit, the school performed the "risk assessment" on his son May 2. The assessment was conducted without a parent present "by a school psychologist."

KOIN 6 reports the boy was found not to pose a risk and Keller was told his son could return to school, but then the school called the local police to question the child alone "without notifying" the parents.

While no charges were filed against the boy, but Keller claims his son suffered emotional harm and is suing for $100,000 for "violations of the Fourth and 14th Amendments, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and failure to train and supervise," notes the lawsuit.